GloFish® Set Up and Care

Getting Started with your new GloFish® fluorescent fish

When your new GloFish arrive, there are a series of steps you must follow to get them properly adjusted to their new home. Your GloFish may be slightly stressed when they arrive, so be sure to handle them with care throughout the acclimation process. Here are the steps we recommend for successfully introducing your fish to their new aquarium:

Step 1: Carefully open the box containing your fish and discard any heating or cooling packs.

Step 2: Each online order is shipped with a sachet of Tetra® AquaSafe®. If you are setting up a new aquarium, you will need to add the enclosed Tetra AquaSafe (as directed on the sachet) before adding your fish to help ensure that the water will be safe for them.

Step 3: Follow this 25-minute procedure to safely acclimate your fish to their new home:

3a. Float the entire bag of fish in your aquarium for 15 minutes.

3b. Open the bag carefully and place approximately one cup of water from your aquarium into the floating bag (with the fish still inside the bag).

3c. Wait another 5 minutes, then repeat the step above (i.e., place approximately one additional cup of water from the aquarium into the floating bag with the fish still inside).

3d. Wait another 5 minutes.

3e. Next, slowly empty the entire contents of the bag (including the water) into your tank.

Tetra® and AquaSafe® are trademarks of Spectrum Brands.

Water Changes

Along with proper feeding, partial water changes are the most important way to ensure that your fish are healthy and happy. For new aquariums, or for an aquarium to which you are adding a substantial number of new fish, we recommend making partial water changes after two weeks and again after four weeks, and once a month thereafter. Please note that if your fish's fins ever become droopy or flat, this is an indication that the water quality may not be safe, in which case we recommend an immediate water change. Here are the steps we suggest for a successful partial water change:

Step 1: Find enough bottled water to fill about 33% of your aquarium. If you don't have bottled water,you may also use lukewarm tap water and treat it by adding AquaSafe® Water Conditioner before adding the new water to the aquarium. A small sachet of AquaSafe® has been included with your online shipment. AquaSafe® removes chemicals in tap water such as chlorine and chloramines, which are harmful to your fish.

Step 2: Let the new water sit next to your tank for several hours to help ensure that it is about at room temperature. This is very important because a quick temperature change can be fatal to your GloFish.

Step 3: Once the new water has reached room temperature, remove and discard about 33% of the old water from the aquarium.

Step 4: Slowly add the new water to the aquarium.

** Important things to remember **

Do NOT remove the fish from the aquarium when making a partial water change. Removing the fish would be very stressful for them and is not necessary if you follow the water change steps above.

It is not enough to replace water that has evaporated. By simply replacing water that has evaporated, you will not actually be removing the pollutants from the aquarium. The only way to do this is a partial water change.

If you perform a partial water change, and the water still looks dirty or cloudy, perform a second partial water change the following day. If this still does not solve the problem, it is likely that the fish are being overfed. Try reducing the amount of food. If that still does not solve the problem, you may need to replace the filter cartridge. These can be purchased at most local fish stores.

Care

GloFish are like their non-fluorescent counterparts, just with a brighter disposition. They are exactly the same in terms of care, including everything from general care and temperature preferences to water quality and nutritional needs. With a little care and attention, your fish will be a happy, healthy companion for years to come.